


0k: Ancestor Suite

by Scedasticity



Series: 0k [6]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Multi, more characters may be tagged as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2019-08-21 14:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 9,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16578569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scedasticity/pseuds/Scedasticity
Summary: In the future (Enlistment and beyond), we encounter the past.





	1. ==> BE YET ANOTHER NECROPATH NAMED SKELETON (IN THE FUTURE)

**Author's Note:**

> This is not going to make ANY sense without reading the rest of the series first.
> 
> The first section was already posted in 0k: POV, the first several after that were unprompted, and then we fall into the usual POV prompts mode.

==> BE YET ANOTHER NECROPATH NAMED SKELETON (IN THE FUTURE)

The first thing you notice is that the Conscription platform is CRAWLING with ghosts. Which isn't unusual by itself -- a lot of people die dramatically around Conscription and hang around for a while -- but these are ADULT ghosts. You see some of the expected conscript-age ghosts ditching the platform to get away from them. 

More than that, they're STRONG ghosts. Some of them you've seen around the squadron occasionally -- the large-horned brownblood trailed by a herd of ghost lusii is very memorable. ...Or heard about. There's a tealblood dressed like a legislacerator, with red glasses and a cane, who fits the description of the ghost who supposedly completely derailed a case in progress and forced the prosecutioners to charge an entirely different person than the original suspect. The Bureau was summoned to get rid of her, but when the necropaths arrived she was nowhere to be found. Now she's just -- hanging around the Conscription platform for some reason.

You spot a purpleblood ghost who looks young enough he might belong, except for how he's GONE VISIBLE in order to advise a group of purple conscripts not to join the subjugglators. Huh. You HAVE heard their recruitment rates have been falling...

Then you spot some ghosts who appear to be TAMPERING WITH THE DRONES.

This presents you with a dilemma. Your job here is to dispel the Heiress after the Challenge, and as long as you're here grab any strong necropaths if you happen to find them. (Personnel is usually pretty good about sending necropaths to the Bureau, at least when they aren't psionic, but no reason not to take care of it when you have the opportunity.) But these are ghosts who are definitely in the process of causing a problem. Since you ARE here anyway, are you supposed to take care of it? 

You're still puzzling over that when another Skeleton, this one a ghost, appears next to you and taps you on the shoulder. "Don't." At your inquiring look, she continues, "This is Cryptrix's show. You don't want to do anything but watch."

Oh. 

You've HEARD about Cryptrix -- very active, VERY strong ghost necropath. You'd thought the "terrifying ghost army" part was an urban legend, but, well...

==> SKIP AHEAD A FEW DAYS

Most of the audience around the Challenge arena can tell something weird is in the air, even if they don't realize it's ghosts. They're quiet and twitchy.

\--Very literally in the air for a lot of them. There are at least two dozen ghost helmstrolls hovering above the arena, interspersed with ghost necropaths and... a little of everything else.

There's a flash of green and gray as another ghost appears right in the middle of the hovering group -- from the horns this might be Cryptrix herself. She looks like she's talking to one of the helmsmen and a young-looking seadweller ghost. Then she raises an arm high in the air, and a hush falls over the ghosts. 

What is this?

The Heiress enters the arena, and the young seadweller drops down to stand next to her. The Heiress -- looks at her? Selective visibility?

Across the arena, the Condesce appears, and the fanfare starts. 

Cryptrix's arm drops. 

The Condesce is hit with psionic blasts from five different directions. You've never seen ghost psionics that strong. The audience is shocked and very confused.

A lesser troll would have been vaporized instantly. The Condesce, though, staggers but doesn't go down. She turns, though, as if she's going to leave the arena -- you guess she's realized someone has changed the rules -- and she's hit with a mob of ghosts of all descriptions, wielding swords and clubs and knives, bows and javelins, lances and spears, handguns and rifles, chainsaws and hammers, whips and slingshots, sickles and scythes, claws and bare hands. Someone is beating on her with a ghost chair. Someone else is trying to run her over with a ghost motorized four wheeled device. The audience can't see the ghost mob, you don't think, but they can see the injuries appearing, and they can see the single non-ghost 2x3dent that strikes the Condesce in the back. It's barely a scratch, really, but--

Cryptrix's hand drops again -- you didn't even notice her raise it -- and the psionics open back up. Some of the ghosts get temporarily disorganized by the blasts, but the Condesce goes down and STAYS down. 

The Heiress walks across the arena and picks up Her Imperious Condescension's 2x3dent. It's almost twice her height, and the ghost seadweller -- the GHOST HEIRESS -- helps hold it steady as she raises it, and aims it, and stabs as hard as she can. 

The six ghosts who immediately grab on add some additional force. 

The audience is dead silent. 

The Condesce is just dead. 

"Stage Two!" Cryptrix bellows, and suddenly ghosts are scattering -- hiding among the living, flying off, sinking into the ground, or just disappearing. You don't get it at first, but--

The Condesce's ghost rises up like every daymare you've ever had rolled into one. It's the most solid ghost you've ever seen -- the audience reacts to it, though you're not sure what exactly they're seeing--

"You," the Condesce hisses at the Heiress. The EMPRESS. 

"No, me," the ghost Heiress says. "It took me a while is all. Oh, and the Second Signless sends his regards--"

She takes off at speed and the Condesce pursues. Luring her away from the living Heiress -- EMPRESS -- and the potential collateral damage of the arena, which is considerate, but you're not sure how she's planning to get AWAY--

Cryptrix leans her head back and shouts at the sky. "DAMARA MEGIDO!"

The Demoness drops out of nowhere and tackles the Condesce down into the ground.


	2. ==> BE FUTURE SOLLUX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Salvage Operation 1

==> BE FUTURE SOLLUX

There is a lot of shit going on. 

Pelagi is having to deal with the fallout of winning the Challenge, so Karkat and Feferi are sticking with her for now. Aradia is splitting her attention between riding herd on the army of ghosts you brought to the Challenge -- trust them to help kill the Condesce, yes, trust them not to run wild across the planet terrorizing hapless pre-adults, NOT NECESSARILY -- and keeping an eye out for the reappearance of the Demoness and/or Her Postmortem Condescension. Tavros is up to his horns in ghost lusii, Terezi and Nepeta are eavesdropping on live trolls to see how the effects are spreading, Equius is coordinating a ghost-enforced long-distance communications blackout, and Gamzee and Vriska are trying to bring the Battleship Condescension's never-reduced ghost population under something resembling control. (Personally you're not sure Vriska's pirate costume is HELPING at all, but no one asked you, and it is a little funny.)

The point is, the Inner Circle is VERY busy and you maybe shouldn't even be taking time for this now, but you are, so you're just accompanied by Ananas, Cephal, Ododby (for necropath support), Skaree (for weakness-finding talent), and Hesten Boetia (who turned into a spaceship nerd after he died and SUPPOSEDLY knows how this insane ship is laid out). Caterpillar was going to come, but it was pointed out the biowire allergy might be an issue, so she's out troubleshooting somewhere instead. 

You kind of wish you could be doing that instead, too, but. This needs to be done, and it should be done sooner rather than later. 

There is way, WAY too much biowire around the helmsblock. Even Cephal looks kind of put off. 

"You know how sometimes it makes trouble because it's not happy?" she tries to explain. "Well, this stuff is TOO happy."

You nod, and see Ananas nodding, too -- apparently the idea that biowire can be too happy is intuitively obvious to helmsmen. Hopefully no one will ask you to explain. 

Skaree glowers at a couple of techs who seem to be having nervous breakdowns, presumably over news of the Challenge. "Can I vote to destroy this ship?"

"It's historic!" Boetia retorts. "And do you even really react to biowire?"

"Not really, I just hate this ship."

"We aren't voting on that yet. Or at all." Though really... "I'll be surprised if it's still usable."

You're more or less expecting the Helmsman of the Battleship Condescension -- you've heard the ~tale of the martyred Psiioniic~, and the helmsman stories about the Battleship Condescension, and you can put two and two together. You were expecting the familiar sign, familiar horns, the face, the red and blue optics. You think he might be taller than you -- it would make sense, you never had a chance to reach full growth in an unrestricted environment -- but it's impossible to be sure under the encroaching biowire. You expected him to be pretty much catatonic -- either due to too much biowire or because checking out is the only logical choice trapped on this hellhole ship. You were expecting the slightly jumpy techs Skaree and Boetia chase away with little difficulty. 

You were NOT expecting the ancient ghost with Karkat's horns sitting next to the helmscolumn.

"Um," says Skaree, possibly realizing what is going on. 

"There is just... no justification for this much biowire," says Cephal, either completely failing to notice what is going on or dismissing it as not a priority. "There is no utility you can get from that much biowire you couldn't get from a QUARTER as much biowire."

"That's a really old ghost," Ododby squeaks.

"YOU'RE a ghost, dumbass," Boetia hisses.

You stare at the Signless Sufferer. 

The Signless Sufferer stares at you -- and Ananas and Cephal, and Skaree and Boetia, and Ododby, but mostly you.

"Hi," you say finally, even though opening negotiations SO isn't your job. "We're here to get my Ancestor out of that... thing."


	3. ==> BE FUTURE CANNIS SKAREE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Salvage Operation 2

==> BE FUTURE CANNIS SKAREE

A.k.a. Surehunt, but since you died you've been going by your hatchname as often as not. It's fine. 

You're pretty sure Mycota legitimately has no idea why the ghost in front of you is potentially a really big deal. The Sufferer... cult... religion... thing is... not common exactly, but AROUND, but one of the guidelines in the Terrifying Ghost Army is not to push your religion in people's faces if they aren't interested. According to Turtur, Mycota cares about people but has never shown any interest in getting... metaphysical about it. She's probably never heard any details. 

(Still, though, you'd think she could notice it looks like it could be the Chief Deputy Ghostleader's Ancestor, especially when Ancestors are already being discussed?)

You know about it because of Turtur. That's about it. 

Probably-the-Sufferer opens and closes his mouth a few times, says something completely incomprehensible, then clears his throat. "Yes. Get him out, please."

"Great," Captor says. "Uh, we were planning on dead, but we could try for alive...?"

"If we're trying that we need some live medics in here first," Mycota says.

Probably-the-Sufferer shakes his head. "Get him out."

"Right." Captor reaches for his unnecessary visor, then hesitates. "This may, uh. Be a little messy."

"Just do it."

"I can, if you'd rather not," Strigi offers.

"Thanks, but that would probably be even more messy," Captor says. "I've got it."

You've never personally witnessed the Terrifying Ghost Army free/kill a helmsman before, but you know the drill. Biowire can be frighteningly effective life support, especially for an integrated system, so if you aren't trying to be subtle the best thing to do is destroy the entire brain immediately. This frees the ghost and also destroys the body's psionics, so if you want you can just leave the ship's crew to deal with whatever's left. 

Captor vaporizes everything that was visible past the biowire, along with a substantial amount of biowire. There's very little smoke and almost no spatter.

Strigi, you guess wanting to do something, goes around the block destroying every console that starts sounding an alarm about the sudden helmsman existence failure. You hope Boetia is coming to terms with the destruction of the historic ship.

The ghost coalesces slowly, and sort of... falls forward out of the helmscolumn. Probably-the-Sufferer catches him. 

They stand there for a long time. You start feeling awkward standing around watching and join Strigi in slowly destroying the helmsblock instead. Mycota and Wodash double-kill any biowire that threatens to show up as a ghost. Boetia pulls out his ghost palmhusk and starts taking pictures of whatever hasn't been destroyed yet.

Eventually, the Psiioniic speaks. "I was never completely sure I wasn't imagining you."

"Fuck if we were leaving you alone here," almost-certainly-the-Sufferer replies. 

You were an active pursuit legislacerator. Listening in on other people's private conversations is one hundred percent your thing. But listening to MUSHY stuff when you AREN'T planning to use it to your advantage-- "Captor, you want me to take Boetia and go get... the deputy ghostleader?"

"Oh hell no, he'll freak," Captor says, with feeling. "And AA really can't stop what she's doing, so... See if you can find Terezi, I guess, see if she can get away to come. And WARN Nepeta. And if you can manage it DON'T tell the rest of the ghost army just yet?"

"I'll see what I can do, but if this ship's ghost population ever gets halfway coherent, it seems unlikely none of them ever came in here."

"...Just get Terezi."


	4. ==> BE A VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Salvage Operation 3

==> BE A VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

The two blueblood ghosts clear out, though not before exchanging words with Psii's Descendant-ghost which indicate that (1) this is not all of their... association of very coherent ghosts, which (2) is not hierarchical by hemospectrum. You... aren't quite sure what to make of this.

"Ugh," the teal says, and pulls out a... computing device? "This is a nasty mess, and I'm just going to ask Ashtar to come up when she can and bring her flamethrower. And maybe some barrels of acid."

"Ghost acid or real acid?" asks the other yellow.

"Real would probably be easier, but whatever, you shouldn't have to keep blasting this stuff if it's going to try to be a ghost."

Psii stirs, and speaks into your shoulder. "What the fuck is happening?"

Well... "The Battleship Condescension came to Alternia for a Challenge, and then a group of ghosts came in, killed you, and started destroying the helmsblock. Someone is going to be very unhappy when she gets back."

"She's dead," says Psii's Descendant. "Assuming you mean the Condesce." He glances around the block. "Which doesn't necessarily rule out her ever coming back here, but hopefully her ghost will be very busy for the foreseeable future."

Dead. You try to let that sink in. It's harder than you'd like it to be. "She... lost the Challenge?"

"Well... she lost a fight with a shitload of ghosts AT the Challenge." He shrugs. "There was, uh, some attempt to make it look like it was just the Challenge, but honestly not one of our better cover-up jobs. We decided to err of the side of making sure she died."

Fair enough. "And who is 'we'?"

"Uhhhh, well... This is awkward, haven't had to explain us in ages. This ship doesn't get a whole lot of ghost exchange, between being off on its own so much and the Demoness coming back here so much..." He breaks off. "You've stuck around through the Demoness being here?"

"We have... an understanding." Mainly due to the fact that the Condesce would not like it AT ALL to know you're around in any form, much less on her ship and not actively in pain, and the Demoness enjoys knowing something the Condesce doesn't that would make her VERY UNHAPPY.

(Two times in all the ages you've been here, she's taken you up on your offer to listen, if she ever wants to talk. But that's not the basis of your understanding, and also not something you would be rude enough to mention to anyone else.)

"I'm impressed," says Psii's Descendant. "Most ghosts I know can hardly stand being near her even when she's not... actively targeting them."

"You're not worried about her coming back?"

"AA's pretty sure it's the Condesce she was interested in, not the ship, and she was last seen tackling the Condesce's ghost down into Alternia's crust."

...Huh.

"Pitch or platonic?" Psii asks your shoulder. Which is a good question -- the Condesce always at least made a show of being pitch, but the Demoness was insistent it was platonic hatred...

"Don't know, don't want to. AA says whatever they're doing, which she also does not want to know, it's highly unlikely to damage the planet or even cause any seismic disturbances, so it's fine."

...Huh. All right then.

"Who's AA?"

"The main reason our terrifying ghost army is so terrifying. Also the Demoness is her Ancestor."

...*Huh*.

"Sollux?" says the teal. "Ashtar says Vriska already contacted her with a rather hysterical request for flamethrower backup, and when Ashtar asked why she didn't just get Caterpillar to destroy whatever it was Vriska said something about wanting to avoid TWO people having Gleeful Abandon flashbacks...?"

"Oh, *shit*."

He still hasn't properly explained who they are.


	5. ==> BE FUTURE CEPHAL MYCOTA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Salvage Operation 4

==> BE FUTURE CEPHAL MYCOTA

You understand why Sollux ran off, you really do. You only ever visited the Gleeful Abandon once, or more precisely the WRECKAGE of the Gleeful Abandon, and it STILL gave you a few bad dreams. Gleeful Abandon flashbacks are BAD FLASHBACKS. Combined with the Small Highblood being probably the strongest purple-type psychic you’ve ever heard of, and a ship of already stressed ghosts, and Vriska being kind of volatile in general and in the running for strongest midblue-type psychic you’ve ever heard of… yeah, someone needs to get on top of that.

You just wish he hadn’t left you and Ananas and Ododby alone with the Ancestor ghosts, without even saying who was supposed to try to be in charge. Certainly none of the three of you particularly want to.

But you hate talking to strangers, and Ododby hates talking to old ghosts, so…

“So, um,” Ananas says. “I know Sollux’s Ancestor is – okay I heard a couple titles, but I’m guessing Psiioniic is preferable?”

“That’s fine,” says the other ghost.

“…Do I want to know what you heard?” the Psiioniic asks, muffled.

“Uh…” Ananas tangles a hand in her curly hair and tugs, and her helm goggles flicker there and gone. “Archetypal Perfect Helmsman. Sorry.”

“UGH.”

“Yeah even most of the people who decide they’re the ship would mostly not like that much… Anyway you’re Psiioniic, but I don’t know what to call you…?”

“Seriously?” hisses Ododby. “You don’t recognize him? You’ve known the deputy ghostleader how long?”

“I’m being POLITE,” Ananas hisses back.

The other ghost DOES maybe look like Karkat, now that you’re thinking about it? You’re terrible with faces… and horns… but there’s nothing that jumps out as wrong. Of course– “Is this a pain cult thing?” you blurt.

Ododby groans and turns away, and then just disappears, the coward. Karkat’s Ancestor-ghost makes an expression that makes him look a lot more like Karkat.

The Psiioniic – snorts a laugh. “Wow, SL. Sounds kinky.”

“It’s just that so many cultists name themselves Surepain,” you try to explain. “And no one explained it when the ghost army started, and then it was just kind of a local nomenclature thing…”

“I warned you and Dis the anecdote about the pumice could be misinterpreted the way she wrote it and you just said I was being deliberately difficult.”

“Signless is fine,” the Signless says loudly. “Now about this ghost army business–”

The Psiioniic raises his head sharply. “Dis. And your mom. I remember them being here too.”

“The were,” the Signless says, distracted again. “They switch back and forth, when the battleship comes to Alternia for Challenges – they just left, a day or so ago. Dis likes to check out the planet, Mom looks in on the caverns…”

If a ghost is visiting the brooding caverns for the first time since the last Challenge she is probably VERY distracted about now.

“Sometimes they stop by the Conscription platform, but after what happened last time–” He breaks off.

The Psiioniic shudders, and lowers his head again.

Huh.

“Oh, shit,” Ananas says. “If you were here for the last Challenge – you must have heard about Karkat dying? They told enough people – in an extremely uninformative way, like I knew what that blood color even meant – anyway I know that was a pretty big deal at the time?”

The Signless stiffens. “That’s – if you mean – she told us, well, him – if–”

“The Empress showed me Signless’s Descendant’s head in a jar,” the Psiioniic says flatly.

…You wonder if that has anything to do with the Gleeful Abandon flashbacks.

“That’s nasty,” Ananas says. “Well, that was Karkat Vantas. Your Descendant. Our deputy ghostleader.”

The Signless looks like he’s been hit in the face with a frog. Or else like someone seeing ghost karaoke for the first time.


	6. ==> BE FUTURE ANANAS STRIGI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Salvage Operation 5

==> BE FUTURE ANANAS STRIGI

You really don’t think you are the best person to explain all this, buuuuuut…

“Okay,” you start. “I wasn’t there at the beginning – or I guess I sort of was there almost at the beginning, since squadron Bureau of Retermination was based on my ship. But I didn’t know what was going on then. Anyway as far as I know, the terrifying ghost army got started because Aradia Megido is a really, really strong necropath, and was even as a kid, and when her friends Karkat and Feferi died at Conscription, she decided to hide their ghosts and bring them with her instead of letting them get dispelled. Which they were supposed to be, because the EMPIRE had identified Karkat as the Second Signless even though HE didn’t know about it, and all Heiresses are supposed to get dispelled.”

“Heiresses?” the Signless asks, and oops, should you not have mentioned that? Too late now.

“Well, singular, obviously, but yes, Feferi was the Heiress who died in the LAST Challenge. And it turns out spending a lot of time around a strong necropath makes ghosts strong. And none of the other necropaths did anything to try to make her stop because they were afraid if anything too bad happened to her she’d end up like the Demoness and no one wanted another Demoness.”

“Probably including the Demoness,” the Signless says.

“And then the other important thing is Sollux – he was here earlier, the Psiioniic’s Descendant – he’s really awesome with computers, and got into Fleetnet from the Conscription platform before he got helmed and set some stuff up. And then he got put in an intermediate system – I don’t know if you know about intermediate systems? It’s the least shitty possible helming setup, where they don’t tangle you up with the ship mentally as badly but still give you some access and let you have some internet stuff? Anyway he changed his permissions and then he could do whatever, so. Things just sort of… ballooned from there. There was a thing with the caverns, and the alien plague, and… Anyway we’re all over the place now.”

There. You think that was a pretty good summary.

“I… see,” says the Signless, but you suspect he’s just saying that. “And now this ghost army has killed the Condesce, and…?”

Um. “Honestly I haven’t been paying a whole lot of attention to the forward planning… The new empress should be okay as a person, Karkat and Feferi helped raise her, but I expect we’ll need to pitch in a lot with the power… transference… thing. I think we’re seizing the squadron that’s here for Conscription to start with?” You remember something about that?

“I see,” the Signless repeats. He looks at the Psiioniic, who’s still slumped against him. “Could we possibly get off this ship? It can’t be helping?”

“I’m fine,” the Psiioniic mumbles unconvincingly.

“You’re not supporting any of your own weight.”

“Just… not quite coordinated is all.”

Oh, shit. “You’ve probably got Phantom Ship Syndrome. It happens to a lot of integrated helmsmen, it’ll get better with time. Though you’re right, hanging around your old helmsblock does NOT make it pass any faster.”

You should probably wait for Sollux to come back or Terezi to arrive.

Being here really isn’t doing him any favors though.

But you are a responsible adult who is not going to just run off with someone else’s Ancestors. Or inform the entire ghost army that the central figure of a major religion has shown up.

“I’m going to message Terezi,” you say. “There’s gotta be some place we can go lie low for a while.”

“Perses’s ghost moundframe chamber is usually mostly deserted,” Cephal offers. “…Mostly because she takes it really badly if you disturb the moundframe, but it might work. I can jump there.”

“Not sure if jumping with a really old ghost is a good idea,” you reply. “Would be safer with necropath assistance, ODODBY.”

You can’t tell whether he’s here but hiding or just bolted.


	7. ==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER BUT STILL VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: If you're still writing in the far future, I'm really curious to see the Dolorosa meeting Skeleton-of-the-Caverns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Older troll, but newer ghost.)

==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER BUT STILL VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

When you enter the Caverns, they are… not the same as always. Considering how very many visits have seen no changes, this is… highly disconcerting.

There aren’t as many ghosts around, but those there are are more active, more coherent. You’re glad you always alter your appearance before coming in – many of them are alert enough they’d be able to identify you.

The long, winding path of the Trials has mostly been converted to furniture storage. Instead, grubs are herded down a shorter, wider corridor where they attempt to dodge terrifying threats like Handheld Scanning Device and Vaccination Injections and Flash Camera. You can count the dead grubs in sight on one hand. About a quarter of the jadebloods present have bidents slung across their backs, but the only people wielding them are a pair of novices trying to have a duel behind their supervisor’s back.

There are fewer grubs than you’d expect, though, and when you go onward and inward, the decrease in eggs is even more dramatic. This is fewer eggs than you had in YOUR day, never mind more recently.

The Mother Grub is… not the same Mother Grub.

You’re still staring when someone next to you clears their throat. “You know I know most of the really old ghosts around here, but I don’t think we’ve met.”

You turn, surprised. The other ghost isn’t a jadeblood at all. In fact – she’s a necropath, a ghost necropath. Like the Demoness, except with a non-ridiculous level of power. “I’ve… been elsewhere. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ghost necropath here before.”

“Yeah, we stayed away out of respect. Except that kind of came back to bite us all in the ass, and it turns out the Mother Grub doesn’t care about ghosts anyway, so one or two of us stick around in case of problems.” She squeezes one eye shut and tilts her head. “I can’t see through your appearance change, it’s very good, but I have a strange feeling I ought to recognize you.”


	8. ==> BE FUTURE KARKAT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: karkat is informed about the... signless situation.

==> BE FUTURE KARKAT

It’s been a long day of Pelagi trying to bring together her own inner circle, establish her authority over the local squadron, and set up a headquarters. The plan is to stay on-planet for at least the first sweep – if you have control of the Mother Grub and Gl'bgolyb, you’re at least halfway to control of the empire.

Sollux catches you after you’ve made sure the ghost guard detail knows what they’re supposed to be doing. “You done here for now? Something’s come up.”

“If it’s another knitting fight I swore never to arbitrate for them again. Try Camieo’s apprentice.”

“No, it’s – uh, more complicated. Come on, we shouldn’t discuss this in public.”

He drags you a good thirty kilometers away from the Conscription platform. Okay, very concerned about listeners.

“So the Helmsman thing? We were right. About who it was, I mean. ”

Ouch. “How’d it go?”

“Okay, except… it turned out a ghost had been hanging out in the helmsblock, with him, all this time.”

What. “Tell me it’s a creepy stalker high blue technician.”

“Sorry, KK.”

“Wouldn’t the Condesce have had my Ancestor DISPELLED?”

“Who was going to tell her, I guess?”

This is going to be a disaster. Especially if– FUCK, what if he still wants the world to end? “We should keep this quiet. Who else knows?”

“Uh, Ananas, Cephal, Skaree, Boetia, and Wodash were with me… Terezi… anyone wherever it is Terezi decided was a good place to stash them… um, possibly Caterpillar, possibly flamethrower jade, not sure whether Ananas said anything to the ex-helm rumor mill…”

“…Way too fucking many people, then.”

“Pretty much.”

…You’re going to have to go talk to him yourself before anyone else does, aren’t you. FUCK.


	9. ==> BE A VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: If you're still doing 0k povs: I'd love to see Karkat and the signless meeting from the signless' perspective
> 
> (Also Salvage Operation 6)

==> BE A VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

The young ghosts seem to know a lot about ‘phantom ship syndrome’, so for Psii’s sake you’re sticking with them for now. A legislacerator ghost showed up and took charge, saying to call her Burnteye or Pyrope, and harangued the necropath ghost out of hiding to help ghost teleport you.

“We’re going down to the surface,” Burnteye explains. “Or technically a little under it. Please try not to disturb any of the termite mounds.”

Those being regular termite mounds and GHOST termite mounds, all of which are technically “moundframes”. The ex-helm Ananas and her tech friend Cephal attempt to explain the variety of ghost technology that’s been developed while Burnteye attempts to explain to the jade who seems to be in charge that yes you need to be here.

After that Ananas starts coaching Psii through some stretches – nothing very complex, really, you could probably have come up with the same yourself, but she’s been there in a way you haven’t – even though you were there. Psii eventually asks her about the varieties of helmsman hookups she mentioned, and then they get TECHNICAL. You lost track of how long you had a front-row seat for all of it and you still can’t follow all the details. But it’s all right, though, because Psii is having a DISCUSSION. You’ll just sit and appreciate it.

In the middle of a gruesome discussion of biowire pseudocorrosion of thoracic vertebrae, there’s a soft… not quite a noise, as a couple new ghosts drop in. Or not new – one of them is Psii’s Descendant back again, and the other…

DAMN that’s weird.

He looks stressed and annoyed. It’s a better look than the slack-jawed blankness of his head in a jar. He also looks fifty percent taller than the height he actually died at.

He doesn’t come to talk to you immediately – goes to Burnteye instead. “Terezi, how’s it going?”

“Fine. Reshki hasn’t tried to throw us out yet. Ananas is… doing ex-helmsman stuff, I think. Sollux, I have to ask – was the imperial blockset as bad as Vriska was trolling everyone?”

“She barely made it past the ENTRYWAY, TZ, it was SO much worse. I couldn’t even destroy all of it properly because it has live fish and FF or Tavros may want to weigh in on that. I just burned all the taxidermy and the block with the buckets in it.”

“I just threw up in my mouth a little,” your Descendant says. “Well, let’s get this FUCKING over with.”

He walks over to you, and after a pause, his appearance flickers to that of a Conscription-age young adult.

“So,” he says.

“So,” you say.

And then it’s like a dam bursts. “Did you HAVE to say that thing about the planet being destroyed? Some people got, just, people started looking FORWARD to it, and I can’t blame some of them but it was really fucking unhelpful when we were trying to do something productive.”

Honestly you can’t really clearly REMEMBER the part about the planet being destroyed. You weren’t completely lucid at that point.

“And your cult, your FUCKING cult, considering SOME people’s Ancestors I shouldn’t complain but I DIDN’T ASK FOR A CULT, and WHY ARE THEY ALL NAMED SUREPAIN. Fuck, it’s–” He gestures inarticulately. “I can’t believe you were just HOLED UP ON THE BATTLESHIP CONDESCENSION the whole time. What with – was it some sort of Ancestor shipment?!”

“After Sollux left it also came out that the Disciple and the Dolorosa were there frequently, too,” Burnteye adds.

“Oh for FUCK’S sake.”


	10. ==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER BUT STILL VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: As I recall, Kanaya is still alive in this time, right? Can the Dolorosa meet her descendent?

==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER BUT STILL VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

After tearing yourself away from the new (NEW!) Mother Grub and evading the nosy necropath ghost you consider – ‘look familiar’.

She could have been hinting that she knew who you were. But…

You’re painfully aware that it’s been long enough for your son to have a Descendant. (The child had been so YOUNG.) So it’s probably been long enough for you, too.

You ask a younger ghost, as casually as you can, if there are any Virgos around these days – you’ve been away a while. Then you amend it to NOTABLE Virgos, because there’s still more sign repetition among jades than most places.

The ghost shrugs. “Well, the MOST notable is Daybreak, probably. Her lusus brought forth the Matriorb that hatched the Mother Grub.”

Virgin Mother Grub lusus, then. “A ghost?” you ask.

“No, alive. Well, rainbow drinker alive.”

After some more discreet asking around, you locate Daybreak in her private quarters. She became a rainbow drinker younger than you did, it looks like, so she doesn’t look exactly like you, but you’re confident she’s your Descendant.

She’s – riveted by the live Challenge broadcast, for some reason. 

There’s a young purpleblood ghost with FACEPAINT sitting on the floor, for some reason. Fiddling with a guitar, for some reason.

And there’s a male jadeblood ghost there, too, holding a reproduction of a tablet, which is – also showing the Challenge arena, but with considerably more people in it. And a few more, not quite so defined ghosts – which makes you realize how very well-defined the purpleblood and tablet holder are – split between looking over his shoulder and Daybreak’s.

“More company, Kansis,” says the purpleblood.

Daybreak looks towards him – he’s VISIBLE? – and he points in your direction. She doesn’t look quite at you, so yes, it’s him doing it. “Hello,” she says. “It’s about to start.”

You don’t usually watch the Challenge, but you’ve seen bits and pieces of them over the ages.

They don’t go like THIS.

The Condesce goes down under– If the ghost tablet is real, she goes down under more ghosts than you can count.

And then she’s dead.

You sit down hard on the floor and lose control of your appearance.

Most of the ghosts don’t even notice, too busy staring at the ghost tablet showing – that’s the DEMONESS, the DEMONESS is tackling the CONDESCE’S GHOST – but the purpleblood drops his guitar. 

“Uh, Kansis? The new ghost, uh…”


	11. ==> BE (NOT AS) FUTURE NEPETA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Nepeta and Vriska staking out Mindfang, maybe?
> 
> (N.B.: This is informed by a non-narrative post I made saying that the Terrifying Ghost Army had known where Mindfang's ghost was since not too long after Nepeta died, but they haven't made contact and aren't planning to.)

==> BE (NOT AS) FUTURE NEPETA

If you hadn’t overheard so much GARPing chatter over the sweeps, you might have been surprised at Vriska’s lack of enthusiasm. She’s faking it, but not very well.

“Trip here all right?” you ask politely.

“Saw one of those awful composite ghost things,” she says. “Avoided it.”

“Those things are pawful,” you agree, then point. “She’s down in that canyon network.”

“Great. Megido told you about avoiding contact, right?”

“Right,” you agree.

You REALLY don’t need to charge Mindfang. Vriskers can still be a loose artillery device sometimes, but – you all know her. She likes you, trusts you, respects you to various degrees, and Ghost Vriska is so much more of a team player than Live Vriska was.

It sounds like Mindfang was like a more competent version of Live Vriska at her most self-centered. You don’t need that.

You head down into the canyons, because Mindfang looks up a lot, and hide in a thornbush. You both watch the ghost – so much fainter than you’re used to – wandering the canyon, shading her eyes from the green moon as she watches the sky.

Vriska’s pirate costume was remarkably accurate.

“I wonder if she’s looking for the Summoner or Redglare’s dragon?” Vriska whispers. “Or both?”


	12. ==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER YET BUT STILL NOTABLY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: What's the Disciple up to?

==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER YET BUT STILL NOTABLY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

You don’t tend to hang around the Challenge arena much, or the Conscription platform in general. They’re just… awful.

But you can’t help but notice that there are a LOT more adult ghosts around than usual. Strong, focused adult ghosts. And they do seem to be focused on the arena. And, well, you don’t usually shy away from satisfying your curiosity. So you hang around, and circle a bit closer, and you can’t help but notice a lot of the CONVERSATIONS the ghosts are having are about grievances against the Empire or against the Condesce specifically? Which is… interesting.

Just before the Challenge is about to start, you notice ghosts… directing traffic? Not just pointing people, you realize as you get closer, but repeating directions.

“First signal is the psionics, when that stops take it away, second signal is the psionics again, repeat as necessary, when the sign for Phase Two goes out CLEAR OUT,” the direction-giver repeats, over and over.

This is… this can’t possibly be what it sounds like.

Next to the direction-giver is a ghost in necropath-green, who seems to be concentrating on every ghost who passes by. You’re familiar with the feel of necropath power from various way-too-close encounters with the Demoness – you aren’t familiar with it STRENGTHENING you.

The crowd is moving INTO the arena. There are ghosts overhead crackling with psionics.

This can’t possibly be what it seems.

But the ghosts around you are manifesting weapons of all kinds, and you’re HERE, so… You imagine your claws back on your hands, and there they are. 

And when the Condesce enters the arena, she’s hit with psionic blasts, EFFECTIVE psionic blasts FROM THE GHOSTS, and this is EXACTLY what it sounded like.

When the blasts stop, the crowd of ghosts surge forward, and you leap with it.


	13. ==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER BUT STILL VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: If, you're accepting prompts about 0k, I would adore seeing more, of Kanaya and the Dolorosa, and how their first meeting goes? They're just so excellent.
> 
>  
> 
> (This, uh, doesn’t actually include that…)

==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER BUT STILL VERY OLD GHOST

You regain control of your appearance before anyone besides the little purpleblood notices. He whispers with your Descendant for a while and then disappears about the time Daybreak gets a call from the current Altadona, who wants to meet with all her advisors about… well. Daybreak leaves to do that, but not without admonishing the assembled ghosts not to damage her block if they know what’s good for them.

She must also have said something about you, although nothing very specific, because the male jadeblood ghost approaches shortly afterwards.

“Ah, hello, Daybreak said you might want to talk with her in particular later? We’ll have a necropath along who can facilitate that eventually, if you want to wait around… I’m Balancer, or Hestai Fialle, whichever, I’m elected ghostadmin this sweep.”

You consider this. “I’m Porrim,” you say finally, because that’s… unlikely to be recognized. “I would like to speak to Daybreak, but there are… other things I would like to look into as well… Is there a specific time, perhaps?”

He shakes his head. “Not that I can predict right now, sorry.” He pauses. “Do you… know her from somewhere?”

“Not exactly. I’ll come back.”

You’d rather not field questions.

You do want to talk to Daybreak, very much so, but you would also very much like to meet up with your friends and find out if they SAW WHAT JUST HAPPENED. Except you don’t know where Dis has gotten to and normally when you’re returning to the battleship you ride along on the Condesce’s shuttle post-Challenge, and obviously that’s not happening, so… hmm. Decisions.


	14. ==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER YET BUT STILL NOTABLY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Has the Disciple heard about the new Empress yet?

==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER YET BUT STILL NOTABLY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

You back off when most of the other ghosts do, and are glad you did when the Condesce’s ghost comes out terrifying. Then the Demoness shows up – also terrifying, but a familiar terrifying – and then that seems to be done with. Okay then.

You edge a bit closer to the remaining live troll in the arena – the Heiress. 

No, the new Empress.

…No, you’re not sure you can see her as anything but an Heiress.

…Coming from you that’s a good thing, but she may have trouble if other people feel similarly. Well, she is apparently backed by a… you’re not even sure how to describe it. She’s the only live troll in the arena but she is NOT alone.

And a good thing, too. She’s so YOUNG. You’re not sure you were ever that young.


	15. ==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER BUT STILL VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I would like to see Dolorosa catching up with Disciple.

==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER BUT STILL VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

You're in luck -- Disciple is loitering near the Brooding Caverns access point where you've parted ways before. She looks a little wild-eyed. More so than usual.

"You heard?" you ask. "I saw the broadcast--"

"I was THERE," she says. "I have never been so happy I decided to play along with a group I didn't understand."

Ah. Yes, of all of you, she would appreciate the opportunity the most. ...Although you are a little sorry you missed it.

"And now-- I want to see what the Heiress is going to do, I want to see what the squadron is going to do, I want to get back and talk to Signless and Psii, I want to work out where these ghosts got the nerve to assassinate the Condesce and SUMMON THE DEMONESS, I--" She shakes her head. "Suddenly everything's interesting again."

It's good to see her looking more alive. ...More engaged. "I also seem to have a Descendant," you offer. "One very involved with... whatever is going on with the ghosts here. I'd like to speak to her, maybe get some answers, but..." You glance upwards. The Battleship Condescension isn't actually visible to the naked eye.

"Right." Disciple grins. "You talk to the kid. I'll get up there somehow and check in -- I'm sure the ship can't be going anywhere in a hurry -- meet you back here in a couple of nights?"

"And in the meantime we can both look into what the new regime is planning," you agree.


	16. ==> BE FUTURE EQUIUS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ghost Equius: Have an e%tremely awkward first meeting whenever you meet your friends ancestors

==> BE FUTURE EQUIUS

Karkat introduces you. Sort of.

“Equius, I’m sure you know who they are. You two, this is Equius, and WE KNOW, but there is a fuckload of stuff going on and Terezi and Sollux and I are NEEDED elsewhere, and without someone inner circle here you’ll get people snooping, so deal with it.” And then he’s gone.

There is an awkward silence.

“Um,” you say. “Ah.

"Well,” says the Signless Sufferer.

There is another awkward silence.

“Would you like to hear about our work on ghost robots?” you blurt finally.


	17. ==> BE FUTURE EQUIUS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: OK!Equius: Have to take the lead in bringing people up to speed

==> BE FUTURE EQUIUS

Apparently, they have only had a brief summary. From Ananas Strigi. You have known Strigi a long time and she has many fine qualities, but there is a reason she seldom gets ghost army courier duty. It’s not your specialty, either, but you HAVE taught trainees.

You ask Reshki for permission (“sure, I kind of want to see this”), then manifest a vertical education plane and several dry-erase markers.

Where to start. Ah.

You write ‘Conscription/Feferi Peixes Challenge’ on the board and underline it.

“The course of events which led us here is generally discussed as starting with Conscription the sweep of the Challenge before this one. However, I feel this overlooks some important and non-obvious events which occurred earlier.”

You move to the blank space you left before the first heading and write 'Social Foundation’. Under that you put the sub-headings 'Geographic proximity’, 'FLARP’, 'Chatrooms’, and after hesitating, ’???’, because there are some connections you can’t actually account for. “In addition to how such an esoteric group formed, I believe I should explain the revenge cycle and its aftermath and the ascension parties.” Possibly the robot incident should also be explained, but you don’t want to discuss it and it’s not like you volunteered for this.

You check on your audience. Both Ancestors – and Reshki – are staring, apparently riveted, at the board.

You guess it’s going pretty well then.


	18. ==> BE A VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: 0k Signless and Psiionic: learn ALL of the backstory

==> BE A VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

“…At which point I asked what she was doing, and she stated that she was attempting to kill Aradia using Sollux’s powers. I have never asked her whether she thought I would not object or simply did not think at all. I knocked her unconscious with the arm, and Sollux regained control before doing more than architectural damage.”

You sort of get the feeling you should be taking notes, but unlike Disciple you never really got the hang of imagining yourself pen and paper. 

It’s fine. Your oral memorization is really good.

“They dropped it after that, which surprised me at the time. I believe Tavros argued that he felt responsible for people getting hurt in a fight started over him, and that he’d rather they be safe than Vriska be punished, so Aradia stood down and focused on defensive measures for Tavros and Sollux as well as rebuilding her hive. Terezi needed time to learn to compensate for blindness. Vriska also had to adapt to the mechanical arm, but might still have pursued further revenge had Eridan not questioned her continued capability of FLARPing at his level. I believe Kanaya instigated his questions to distract Vriska. Further aftermath… Tavros’s legs were amputated and replaced with robotic prostheses approximately a sweep later. Vriska and Terezi resumed their association and started cycling through possible quadrants shortly afterwards.”

“Is there going to be a quiz?” Psii whispers.


	19. ==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER YET BUT STILL NOTABLY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Can we see more of Disciple finding things out, and meeting up with Signless and Psiioniic?
> 
> (though we haven't gotten all of it yet...)

==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER YET BUT STILL NOTABLY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

It takes you a little bit to get back up to the Battleship Condescension -- you finally get the chance when the new Empress (after consultation with some ghosts) orders one of the assembled captains to send a crew over and "go make sure it doesn't fall out of the sky".

You'd like to say that's not a risk, but you haven't been able to completely avoid the crew -- it's definitely a risk.

You ride along in Captain Shellion's shuttle, listening in as she argues with her officers back on her ship about who should be sent to the Battleship -- more people for security, or fewer people to minimize their risk? Apparently the Battleship has not been PARTICULARLY understandable in its responses to hails, but did communicate they were having some equipment problems in addition to the crew freakouts. The shuttle docks into a slightly larger transport from Shellion's ship before approaching the Battleship.

Docking with the Battleship is more complicated than you think it should be -- apparently they aren't doing their part on the receiving end? And indeed, despite ample warning, no one is waiting to greet Captain Shellion.

It's a little darker than expected, and there's a cacophony of alarms.

"...They're on reserve power," says one of Shellion's techs.

"So I see," says Shellion. "How likely is it that 'keep it from falling out of the sky' was LITERAL?"

"We should, uh, probably check the orbit status from the command deck, sir."

"...Let's do that, then. Which way?"

"Um..."

You leave them to it and head for the helmsblock. You don't know enough about ships to say what reserve power means, but it seems reasonable it would have something to do with Psii -- could the Condesce have left some commands for if she died? It seems unlikely she would have considered that even possible, but--

Or it could mean the helmsman is dead.

Signless isn't there. There are some stunned, panicking helmstechs, and a ghost who... seems to be using a flamethrower on... ghost biowire?

Okay. It isn't a bad thing, that Psii has finally been able to die. If his ghost appeared, Signless probably took him somewhere else -- if not, Signless probably didn't want to stick around HERE. So -- where would Signless have gone? Hmm, there aren't any really good options...

"Hey, flamethrower, you done in here yet?" another ghost demands, breezing in. "There is a LOT of stuff left to burn around here."

It's a Scorpio. Dressed as a pirate.

You take a second to be grateful Dolorosa is checking things out planetside, and POUNCE.


	20. ==> BE FUTURE VRISKA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unprompted, but following directly from the last chapter.

==> BE FUTURE VRISKA

It's not the first time you've been jumped by another ghost on this shitshow of a ship, but this is definitely the oldest, strongest ghost you've met here yet. In fact it might be getting up there in terms of old ghosts you've met anywhere, but it's hard to focus on the fine details owing to the CRAZY GHOST TRYING TO RE-KILL YOU.

You blast a general empathic [GO AWAY!] but it doesn't seem to take. It's hard to focus on anything more refined with someone yanking on your horns. Their other hand is raking claws along your ribs, which HURTS which is annoying because it's not like you actually have to feel anything at all but you're so used to deliberately feeling it's hard to just drop it without thinking about it which you can't because you are VERY DISTRACTED, and maybe you should just vanish out of here, because what if you actually get hurt? but then again--

FIRE. Briefly.

You and your ghost attacker spring apart and both wheel to face-- Flamethrower Jade, wielding her flamethrower like it's a spray bottle and you're unruly barkbeasts. 

"What the FUCK, Rothah!" you screech.

"It's not like I could aim this at only one of you!" she shouts back. She points the flamethrower at the attacker ghost, and waves her ghost palmhusk. "I called for backup, Caterpillar and Cirava and Bonedust will be here ANY MINUTE, so you should -- why do you look like Quikclaw?"

...The ghost DOES look an awful lot like a long-haired adult Nepeta.

She's looking at you, not Rothah -- DOWN at you, you've lost control of your appearance and are standing there as a barely-adult in a blood-soaked Fleet uniform. "...You're not Mindfang," she says.

You knew it. "I KNEW it! I knew that would come back and bite me! I knew that would-- FUCK HAVING ANCESTORS!"


	21. ==> BE AN ACTUALLY VERY NEW GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: How well is the Psiioniic holding up? What with the finally dying and the Post-Ship Syndrome?

==> BE AN ACTUALLY VERY NEW GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

The ship demanding power, you remind yourself again, is not real. However you're trying not to look too CLOSELY at that, as you suspect a number of other physical things also aren't real, if you want to be strictly accurate.

Signless is real. You've glimpsed him now and then, heard him sometimes, seldom both, but now you can feel his shoulder against yours, see his face clearly. It's... good. This is good.

(You're not questioning whether the whole SCENARIO is real. The Condesce liked the occasional mind game, but she didn't have a whole lot of patience for them, and positing her own death wasn't her style at all. As for something you cooked up yourself -- you don't dream much, and you're not sure your subconscious could have come up with Darkleer 2.0 lecturing about the quadrant drama of people you've never heard of.)


	22. ==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER BUT STILL VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Something with Gamzee and any of the Ancestors

==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER BUT STILL VERY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)

You go back to Daybreak's quarters to find she's not back from whatever meeting she's in. The big group of ghosts from before has mostly dispersed, but the purpleblood is still there, plucking at the guitar and looking at another 'ghost computer'.

"Hey, you're back," he says. "Kansis is still pretty busy, we're not sure how long the meeting's all going to be. All the live people are pretty worked up about... all of this. Well, I guess a lot of the dead people are, too."

"It's a shock," you say neutrally. "Not an unwelcome one, for me personally, but still a shock." 

"Eyup, pretty much."

Looking CAREFULLY, you think he may be someone's Descendant, too, but between the age and the demeanor the resemblance is less than striking. Considering he is clearly on good terms with your Descendant and probably affiliated with the anti-Condesce ghosts, you decide it would probably be rude to mention it. "Have you known Daybreak long?"

"Oh, ages. Me and Kansis go way back. We didn't meet in person 'til Karbro's Ascension Party, she lived in the middle of nowhere and I didn't travel much, but we had friends in common so we were internet friends since we were just kids. She sent me a new pair of clown pants she made after my old ones got set on fire by my oven exploding."

...You decide not to pursue the oven question. "And then -- if you'll pardon my asking, did you die on Alternia?"

"Nnnnnnope." His appearance flickers for just a second, his face going discolored and hair matted. "Kiiiiiinda wish I had sometimes, but my going to THAT SHIP did end up helping some other people, so I guess it all turned out for the best." He rests his chin on the guitar. "If you don't mind ME asking... you looked kinda like Kansis for a bit earlier."

"...Yes."

"So... I wouldn't say I'm a follower exactly because Karbro threatened to jump in a star if any of us actually converted, but I do KNOW a lot of... a lot of ghosts named Surepain, if you know what I mean? And we've got the idea... we know who Kansis's Ancestor was?"

"...Yes." You hesitate. "And, 'Karbro' is...?"

"Pretty motherfucking busy, just now," he chuckles. "Yeah. Karkat's got an Ancestor the ghosts named Surepain are pretty interested in, too."


	23. ==> BE A DIFFERENT NEWER YET BUT STILL NOTABLY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE) (SLIGHTLY MORE IN THE FUTURE ACTUALLY)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: 0k: After a (successful!) rebellion, does the Summoner come to check out the crew that finally took down the Condesce? (Does he get to meet Tavros?)

==> BE A DIFFERENT NEWER YET BUT STILL NOTABLY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE) (SLIGHTLY MORE IN THE FUTURE ACTUALLY)

You don’t get out much. Or, actually, it might be more accurate to say you don’t get IN much – you spend almost all your time out in the wilds, avoiding all the kids. Every now and then you pay attention, but you usually end up getting INVESTED in something, and it just… never ends well.

(Seeing a failed rebellion could still be uplifting, because at least people aren’t broken! Seeing a failed rebellion composed ENTIRELY OF CHILDREN is… a different kind of painful.)

So it is, very literally, two seasons before you hear that Her Imperious Condescension is dead, at the Challenge but under weird, apparently-ghost-related conditions, and there’s a new Empress. 

All right, you do have to check this out.

…Somehow.

…It can’t be that hard to locate an Empress, can it? They aren’t usually low-profile.

You find the Conscription platform first. You are… pretty sure it’s not normal for it to still be standing this long after Conscription? According to posted signs, there is a ‘Imperial representative office’ on the platform and juveniles may contact the office to try to get in touch with friends in the Fleet or submit questions to the new regime. That’s… different.

The Challenge arena is intact. There are tourist kids climbing around on it, taking selfies.

…There are adult ghosts climbing around on it. Taking selfies. With… ghost cameras.

…Huh.

“…think he looks like the Wrangler?” you overhead, as you’re poking at the sand where the Empress died. “Except his horns are even bigger.”

“He looks like a pre-Fleet ghost to me…”

“Say, do you know if that betting pool on inner circle Ancestors is still open? Because I gotta say…”

You look over at the speakers – adult ghosts, Fleet uniforms, probably lowbloods. “It’s rude to talk about people like they can’t hear you, you know.”

“Sorry!” says one of them. “But, sorry, I have to ask–”

“Not before I’ve entered the betting pool!”

“–Your hatchname wouldn’t happen to be ‘Nitram’, would it?”

You are pretty sure your shocked staring gives away the answer.


End file.
